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A multilevel society of herring-eating killer whales indicates adaptation to prey characteristics

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Date
04/2017
Author
Tavares, Sara B.
Samarra, Filipa I. P.
Miller, Patrick J. O.
Funder
Office of Naval Research
Grant ID
N00014 08 1 0984
Keywords
Ecological context
Hierarchical structure
Killer whale
Multilevel societies
Orca
Social structure
GE Environmental Sciences
QH301 Biology
QL Zoology
NDAS
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Abstract
Non-social factors can influence animal social structure. In killer whales (Orcinus orca), fish- versus mammal-eating ecological differences are regarded as key ecological drivers of their multilevel society, including group size, but the potential importance of specific target prey remains unclear. Here, we investigate the social structure of herring-eating killer whales in Iceland and compare it to the described social structures of primarily salmon- and seal-eating populations in the Northeast Pacific, which form stable coherent basic units nested within a hierarchical multilevel society. Using 29023 photographs collected over 6 years, we examined the association patterns of 198 individuals combining clustering, social network structure, and temporal patterns of association analysis. The Icelandic population had largely weak but non-random associations, which were not completely assorted by known ranging patterns. A fission–fusion dynamic of constant and temporary associations was observed but this was not due to permanent units joining. The population-level society was significantly structured but not in a clear hierarchical tier system. Social clusters were highly diverse in complexity and there were indications of subsclusters. There was no indication of dispersal nor strong sex differences in associations. These results indicate that the Icelandic herring-eating killer whale population has a multilevel social structure without clear hierarchical tiers or nested coherent social units, different from other populations of killer whales. We suggest that local ecological context, such as the characteristics of the specific target prey (e.g., predictability, biomass, and density) and subsequent foraging strategies may strongly influence killer whale social association patterns.
Citation
Tavares , S B , Samarra , F I P & Miller , P J O 2017 , ' A multilevel society of herring-eating killer whales indicates adaptation to prey characteristics ' , Behavioral Ecology , vol. 28 , no. 2 , pp. 500-514 . https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw179
Publication
Behavioral Ecology
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw179
ISSN
1045-2249
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2016, the Author(s). This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at academic.oup.com/beheco / https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw179
Description
This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grant numbers SFSFRH/BD/30303/2006 and SFRH/BD/84714/2012); Icelandic Research Fund (i. Rannsóknasjóđur, grant number 120248402); National Geographic Society Science and Exploration Europe (grant number GEFNE65-12); Office of Naval Research (grant number N00014-08-10984); and a Russell Trust Award from the University of St. Andrews.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/beheco/arw179#supplementary-data
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/12396

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